Happy Pajama Day here at Island Lake! Now that our campers are all well rested from last night’s ETB and are still wearing their pj’s around camp all day, tonight they look forward to LTB (Late to Bed). Tomorrow is our 2^nd Lazy Day of the summer. Our 6^th grade and under campers are going to see the movie, “Inside Out”. Our 7^th grade and older campers are going to the bowling alley in Binghamton for fun and games. Lazy Day should be a great time for all.

Today was our big once per session trip to Cooperstown to the Baseball Hall of Fame for all who were interested in going. A bus of campers spent the day learning the history of baseball, with perhaps some souvenirs, pizza, and fudge thrown into the mix.

Out in California, our kids kicked off their day by going to Santa Monica to do some volunteer work at the Ocean View Park. Later they went to Universal Studios to enjoy the rides, attractions, and shows. Tonight they’ll be dining on City Walk and then spend the rest of the evening exploring and enjoying the park.

Tonight’s evening activity here at ILC is groups. On the boys side, group 1 is playing mini-games, group 2 is playing kong pong, group 3 is playing capture the flag, and group 4 is having a pajama party and movie with girls group 4 (to go along with today’s theme day, jammy jams day). On the girls side, group 1 is having an “unfashion” show, group 2 is playing gaga and making music videos, group 3 is having bunk bonding activities, and group 4 is joining the boys for a jammy party and movie.

Today’s special feature is COOKING! Until tomorrow, ILC U THERE!

Hey Island Lake families! It’s hard to believe we’re already 1 ½ weeks into summer. Time sure flies when we’re having fun! All of us here at ILC hope you’re enjoying all of our social media updates so you can feel as if you are part of the excitement at camp this summer. As a reminder, you can find us on the following websites:

1. Daily blogs here on our website
2. Daily tweets on Twitter (twitter.com/IslandLakeCamp)
3. Short videos on our Facebook page (facebook.com/IslandLakeCamp)
4. And of course, our daily photos and weekly videos through your CampMinder account.

Today was a busy day for sporting events. We had a 9^th grade boys tennis tournament, 5^th grade girls tennis tournaments, 7^th grade boys basketball, and 7^th grade girls lacrosse.

Meanwhile, out west the kids on the teen tour are enjoying their new surroundings in the Los Angeles area. Today they got a taste of college life with a tour of UCLA. Afterwards they took a guided bus tour all around LA, including Grauman’s Chinese Theater and the Hollywood hills to see some movie stars’ homes. Tonight they’re heading to Dodger Stadium where they’ll watch batting practice and then enjoy the Dodgers vs. the Phillies.

Evening activity tonight is everyone’s favorite, most anticipated secretive activity of the summer. No, it’s not color war! Here’s a hint,…it takes place down at the waterfront. All parents of returning campers should know exactly what I’m referring to. Those of you new to ILC will for sure hear about it when your child returns home. Ok, ok I’ll tell you. Evening activity is revival night! I can tell you now since emails were already printed & post-dinner phone calls have been made so we can’t ruin the surprise for the kids.

Today’s special feature is GYMNASTICS and RYTHMIC GYMNASTICS! Tonight is ETB, Early To Bed. The kids definitely need some extra rest after running around all day, day after day, having fun and playing hard. Have a great evening and until tomorrow, ILC U THERE!

Usually when you hear the phrase “kids today” it is followed by something negative. “Kids today can’t pay attention” or “Kids today have no respect”. Here at Island Lake we encourage our staff to find positive messages when speaking about the kids. Yesterday I had the opportunity to experience the positive message that camp can foster first hand while attending the Wayne County girls volleyball tournament.

We took our 9^th graders and one 7^th grader to the tournament, which hosted the top 12 camps in the area. There were approximately 150 girls there competing and it was a pleasure to be at the event. The kids were respectful to the host camp officials, to one another and to their coaches. There was not a cell phone in sight and no drama. Our girls interacted with players from other teams who they knew from home and made new friends in the process between matches. On the court the teams competed hard and never disrespected the other teams or officials. I was very proud of our girls and their coach Kiki, who joined us from the Netherlands this year and is doing an outstanding job here at volleyball and in the bunks where she works with our youngest campers. They were all great representative of our camp and of their families.

So I was reminded of why we work so hard to foster these types of environments at camp. To watch our kids support each other during successful moments and when they stumbled. There was only one 7^th grader on the trip and the older girls showed her respect and encouragement the entire day. Camp gives us a chance daily to show our better side and our kids are great examples of positive behavior every day.

The next time someone says, “Kids today…” followed by a negative comment; I will have a better response. “Kids today are respectful, worldly, caring, focused..” The list could go on and on.

By the way, we won the championship yesterday. That wasn’t the important part of the story.

Video  (click “video” to see some excitement)

Happy Monday everybody!  Today was another active day in Starrucca, PA. Last night’s social was a lot of fun for our campers and staff. They danced the night away and many girls enjoyed dressing up for one of their favorite evening activities.

Today our 9^th grade and under girls volleyball team brought home 1^st place in a county-wide tournament that included several other camps. Our girls finished undefeated as they shut out some teams and brought back a well-earned victory for Island Lake. We’re so proud of our girls! We also had 8^th/9^th grade boys and 10^th/11^th grade boys go out of camp for tennis tournaments. Lastly, 7^th grade girls soccer went out of camp for a game today. There is lots of action going on for our Island Lakers.

Today the teen tour kids toured Cal-Poly Tech. They then spent the afternoon relaxing at Pismo Beach. After dinner they will be heading to Las Angeles, CA for a few fun-filled days there.

Tonight’s evening activity is groups. On the boys side group 1 is playing dodgeball, group 2 is playing gaga, and group 3 is going on a nature hike and group 4 is having a campfire. On the girls side group 1 is having a big makeover, group 2 is having an “unfashion” show, group 3 is also having their own makeover, and group 4 will be joining boys group 4 for a campfire.

Special feature of the day is TENNIS! Enjoy and until tomorrow, ILC U THERE!

We hope you all had a great 4^th of July! Ours was pretty fantastic here at Island Lake. Ending the night with the firework show was an awe-inspiring topper to an amazing, spirited, fun-filled day.

Today we woke to clear skies and the temperatures rose to mid-70’s. Yay! Intercamp games resumed and we had several tennis tournaments home and away. We also had a boys basketball game as well as a boys hockey game out of camp today.

Our CITs are having an enjoyable time in San Francisco as you can see from the pictures we’re posting on CampMinder (& a few here on the blog). Yesterday they started their morning walking across the Golden Gate Bridge and then went back to Lombard Street to see the most crooked road during the day. They drove around San Francisco with our amazing tour guide who provided them with a great deal of history about the city. They then grabbed a bite to eat and headed to Alamo Square to see Victorian Row. Before dinner they went to the Cathay House and spent time shopping at Union Square. Their evening ended with a firework display at Chrissey Field. Today they are visiting Stanford University and Hearst Castle before heading to Pismo Beach, CA.

Back here at Island Lake tonight’s evening activity is our infamous ILC social! Our girls love to get dressed up and look pretty for the social while we’re lucky if the boys shower and put on a clean shirt. The kids all head to the gym where DJ Dennis spins some records (ok, maybe he just plays songs from his laptop) and our campers get down and boogie all night long. Social is one of our campers’ favorite evening activities.

Today’s special feature is PIONEERING! We’ve got some pics of the climbing wall, low and high ropes course, outdoor survival skills, and the zipline. There’s also a couple of pics of our kids on the teen tour. Enjoy and until tomorrow, ILC U THERE!

Happy 4^th of July! Hope you’re all enjoying your holiday as much as we are here at Island Lake. Campers are all decked out in their red, white, and blue clothing and accessories today. We woke up to rain this morning but it finally stopped right at the end of lunch. Let me tell you, rain or shine, these kids have spirit! Let’s start from the beginning,…

At breakfast this morning we started the 4^th of July holiday with our annual speech about how the U.S. beat the British to become our own nation but now we are all very good friends. Our British staff stood at the front of the dining room and sang their national anthem. The rest of us then sang the Star Spangled Banner followed by the chant, “U-S-A! U-S-A!”

Next highlight- MUSIC LUNCH! We played pop music in the dining room and the kids had an awesome time singing and dancing. Everyone joined in on the fun and didn’t want to leave for their next activity. You can view a select few photos of our music lunch below and there will be lots in our daily summer photos later today.

Next highlight- COOKOUT tonight! Burgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, watermelon, red, white, and blue cupcakes, and more will be devoured at dinner. Our campers enjoy dining outdoors for our cookouts.

Next highlight- CANTEEN will follow rest hour and then as the sun sets we’ll put on a short ROCK CONCERT on girls campus for all of our campers and counselors to enjoy. We’ll also send off some SKY LANTERNS into the air, which always makes the camp “Oooooohh” and “Aaaaaaahh”.

Next highlight- our huge FIREWORK extravaganza! We pride ourselves in having a fantastic firework show. It’s so good that the kids have been talking about it for days and our neighbors even come outdoors to enjoy watching it.

Today’s feature,…patriotic campers at MUSIC LUNCH! Have a wonderful 4^th of July and until tomorrow, ILC U THERE!

Today is a beautiful day in Starrucca, PA! The sun is shining and the kids are busy with their majors and minors. Yesterday’s trip to Dorney Park was fantastic all around. Our campers said they had so much fun on the rides, in the water park, and playing games. There were practically no lines for the rides either. Added bonus!

Our CITs on the teen tour had a smooth trip out to San Francisco yesterday. They enjoyed their evening with a dinner at Bubba Gumps followed by a walk around the piers to see lots of entertainment. Today they’re on a catamaran checking out sights such as the Golden Gate Bridge. Later they’ll enjoy a hike at Muir Woods.

Meanwhile, back here at Island Lake our 5th grade and under girls played in a basketball game against another camp. Go Island Lakers!

Tonight’s evening activity is our Bunk Cup Opening Ceremony for the entire camp. Representatives from each bunk will be present their bunk flag and bunk plaque for the camp. We will then show the top bunk videos and have judges vote on a winner. The winning bunks will earn points for their teams (bunks).

Today’s blog feature is CIRCUS! Enjoy the start to your 4^th of July holiday weekend and until tomorrow, ILC U THERE!

The sun is out! The sun is out! We’re excited to report that all outdoor activities have resumed once again. Woohoo! The kids are swimming, enjoying the low and high ropes course, they’re out on the ball fields, playing tennis, in addition to all of the other activities unaffected by the weather. We had some rain during snack break but by the time 3^rd major started, the clouds broke and activities continued per usual.

Today we had our first inter-camp games. Our 8^th and 9^th grade hockey players skated hard competing against a local camp. Our 9^th grade boys basketball team won their first game here at ILC.

Tomorrow is a big day for everyone. Many of our CIT’s are leaving early in the morning and heading west for their 3-week teen tour. Their suitcases are all packed and they’re ready to go. I’ll update you while they’re away and post some pictures on occasion.

All of our other campers will be boarding coach buses tomorrow morning, destination, Dorney Park! Since we won’t be back until night time, there will not be a blog posted tomorrow. The next blog will be on Friday, July 3^rd.

Tonight’s evening activity is groups. Here’s a breakdown of what’s going on. Boys group 1- playing gaga; boys group 2- dodgeball; boys group 3- handball; boys group 4- kong pong: Girls group 1- gaga; girls group 2- dodgeball (separate from the boys); girls group 3- putting on an “unfashion show”; girls group 4- great imposter (they fill a laundry bag with all different types of clothing from the bunk and then have to dress up as specific celebrities or camp people that the group leader announces).

Today’s special feature is waterfront. We’re looking forward to a fantastic time at Dorney Park tomorrow. Until Friday, ILC U THERE!

Hi Island Lake families! Although the weather gods have not been very nice to us thus far, it hasn’t affected your children’s experiences here at camp. The kids are making the best of a bad weather situation and as the saying goes, the show much go on!

The talk around camp is Thursday’s Lazy Day trip to Dorney Park. Everyone is getting so excited for what is supposed to be a fun day in the sun! They’ll have the opportunity to go on roller coasters, smaller rides (especially for the younger kids), and a super big water park. Last year’s trip was a huge success so we’re anticipating the same this summer.

The other talk around camp is our 1^st annual teen tour to the west coast for our CIT’s. They are sooo pumped for Thursday morning when they depart camp, fly out of Newark, and head directly to San Francisco for 3 weeks of travel. I’ll give you lots of updates on this trip along the way.

Tonight’s evening activity is Steve Max. He’s the super duper fun and exciting Simon Says guy. The kids always have a blast participating in this camp-wide game. After evening activity we have our first weekly ETB of the summer. ETB stands for “early to bed”. That means there is no canteen and the kids go straight back to their bunks after evening activity to get a good night’s rest. With so much running around these past few days, they can all use an ETB night.

Today’s special feature is theater! Below are photos from rehearsals for High School Musical and Legally Blonde. Enjoy and until tomorrow, ILC U THERE!

Happy first day of majors and minors! We’re excited to report to you that we witnessed some blue sky today! The sun shined through this afternoon!  Woohoo!  The grounds are starting to dry and outdoor activities have resumed once again. The children are swimming, playing soccer, mountain biking, riding horses, in addition to all of our other activities currently going on. Show rehearsals have started, rock bands have been formed, and dances are being choreographed. Kids are walking around doing magic tricks, making all sorts of arts & crafts, and are becoming little chefs in cooking. They’re flying in the air on the giant swing as well as the circus trapezes. We’re so pumped for all the action going on here at Island Lake.

Tonight’s evening activities are groups once again. Those who worked on bunk flags last night will work on their bunk videos tonight and vice versa. Then they’ll be off to socializing at the canteen once again. We have to tell you, even though the weather hasn’t been in our favor just yet, you’d never know it with all of the laughter and smiles around camp and cheer in the dining room. Our campers are forming everlasting friendships with one another and learning so many skills in their activities. We couldn’t be happier!

Today’s special photo feature is SPORTS. Here is only a few of the activities that’s been going on all day up there. Enjoy the pictures and until tomorrow, ILC U THERE!